All too often, live concerts in the present day of fondly-remembered rock acts from the 1960s and 1970s just can't recapture the feel of the decades gone by. The spring is out of the step, the voice is shot and too many years of playing as a revival act in dives and at county fairs will do that to you. But surprisingly enough, one of the hardest rock acts of the 1970s, the guitar-driven boogie-and-blues-tinged Foghat, still sounded just as good in 1999 as they did in 1975.

Although there are only ten songs in this concert, it still runs well over an hour, thanks mainly to the band's fondness for extended solos featuring their trademark screaming guitars. Though original guitarist Rod Price was unwilling to tour and was replaced here by former Molly Hatchet guitarist Bryan Bassett, the transition is entirely seamless. Had the interview segments not pointed out the substitution, I never would have guessed. The pounding sound is still there in spades, with a cool cockiness that brings to mind summer crusing with the windows down, blasting Fool for the City as loudly as the 8-track could be cranked.

Lead singer Lonesome Dave Peverett was still in reasonably good voice as well during this performance in Texas (actually two performances edited together into one). He's energetic despite being middle-aged, and other than a poorly-fitting toupee, one would never guess he was undergoing chemotherapy for the cancer that would kill him just four months later. It's a little ghoulish, but it's also heartening to see that Peverett was rocking so hard, right until the very end, to a very appreciative audience.

Foghat was never much of a Top 40 band, but those who listened to AOR FM radio in the 1970s heard plenty of its work. All its best songs are here, and fans of the band will not be disappointed one bit. The songs are separated by interview snippets of the band by producer Alan Ames, but these tend to be fairly short and don't unduly disrupt the concert atmosphere.

Songs performed:

Drivin' WheelSomebody's Been Sleepin' in My BedStone BlueIt Hurts Me TooRock Your HouseSweet Home ChicagoAngel of MercyFool for the CityI Just Want to Make Love to YouSlow Ride

Rating for Style: A-Rating for Substance: B+

Image Transfer

One

Aspect Ratio

1.33:1 - Full Frame

Original Aspect Ratio

yes

Anamorphic

no

Image Transfer Review: There are always limitations to live concert films, but this one looks better than most, with vivid colors and surprisingly deep black levels. I didn't note any significant artifacting or artificial sharpening. The interview segments appear to be shot on video and are consequently rather soft and lacking in definition, as well has having some odd video artifacting. On the whole, it's quite satisfactory.

Image Transfer Grade: B

Audio Transfer

Language

Remote Access

DS 2.0

English

yes

Dolby Digital5.1

English

yes

Audio Transfer Review: The critical part of a Foghat performance is the ability to play it loud and there's good news on that front. It's a very clean and well-recorded performance, with thunderous bass, and the screaming guitars have excellent presence, Crowd noises aren't obtrusive at all. At reference levels, this disc can put your pets into frothing shock and give small children nightmares in the next town. Perfect, in other words.

Extras Review: There are a few extras, but other than a good but brief set of liner notes they are mostly dispensable. Backstage Pass is a 9m:04s miscellaneous accumulation of backstage goofing around. With a Little Help from My Friends is a 4m:27s assemblage of similar clips devoted to the crew and roadies. Finally, A Chat with the 'Hat (8m:44s) is just the full interview that the segments in the main program were cut from, so there's nothing new here at all. Wrapping up the parcel is a photo gallery with about four dozen shots. Nothing to get excited about here.

Extras Grade: D+

Final Comments

If you liked Foghat's blistering style of rock, you're in for a treat with this 1999 reunion that demonstrates that there was still plenty of gas left in the Foghat tank. A nice transfer and some largely useless extras.